John Kerry has broken his leg in a bike crash near Scionzier in France on Sunday, apparently after hitting a curb

US and Iran resume 'substantive' nuclear talks in Geneva as deadline looms

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Secretary of State John Kerry broke his leg in bike crash near Scionzier in France on Sunday, apparently after hitting a curb. He then scrapped the rest of a four-nation trip that included an international conference on combating the Islamic State group.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said X-rays at a Swiss hospital confirmed that Kerry fractured his right femur.

“The secretary is stable and never lost consciousness, his injury is not life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery,” Kirby said in a statement.

It was initially announced that Kerry, 71, would return to Boston for further treatment with a doctor who previously operated on his hip. Later on Sunday, Kirby said the planned return to the US would be delayed, as after further consultation it had been deemed sensible for the secretary to remain in hospital for observation overnight, for precautionary reasons.

Kerry’s wish to seek treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital was made because the fracture is near the site of his prior hip surgery, Kirby said.

A police car is seen at the entrance of the Geneva University Hospital, where John Kerry has been hospitalized after breaking his leg. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

During discussions in late March and early April between world powers and Iran, he took several bike trips during breaks. Those talks were in Lausanne, Switzerland, and led to a framework agreement.

Kerry regrets not being able to make the rest of his scheduled stops, Kirby said. The top US diplomat had planned to travel later on Sunday to Madrid for meetings with Spain’s king and prime minister, before spending two days in Paris for an international gathering to combat Isis.